


A Commander's Annoying Traveler

by MightyWolves23



Series: Fated Across the Stars [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Clone Troopers Speak Mando'a (Star Wars), Commander kink, Drunken Confessions, F/M, Female Reader, Flirting, Force-Sensitive Reader, Happy Ending, High T people, Jango Fett Lives, Mando'a Language (Star Wars), No Smut, Non-Graphic Violence, Sort Of, That's Not How The Force Works (Star Wars), The Force, This is rated High T, Time Travel, no y/n
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28643751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MightyWolves23/pseuds/MightyWolves23
Summary: She had a mission. This Jedi stuff was going to mess with it. From day one in this universe, all her attention was spent trying to save the galaxy. Light? Dark? Who cared who won?Well, maybe she did. She wasn't going to have the Sith win. The Jedi might not be the best but they were hundreds of times better than the Sith ruling the galaxy.So she worked. She worked to save the galaxy all by herself, running into Commander Cody of the 212th every so often.Then the loneliness caught up to her. A job was offered at the right moment right time to change the course of her life. Suddenly she had a more permanent home and a more permanent family.What was the Force planning?Must read the other two stories first. 1. A Captain's Stubborn Jedi and 2. A Commander's Mysterious Singer
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Reader, CC-3636 | Wolffe/Reader, CT-7567 | Rex/Reader
Series: Fated Across the Stars [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2069607
Comments: 5
Kudos: 37





	A Commander's Annoying Traveler

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Tease](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25174531) by [catsnkooks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/catsnkooks/pseuds/catsnkooks). 



> So... I'm back from my vacation and I cannot believe all the things I got in my email box when I came back. I'm so excited about this series because it just will not leave me alone. Next up, Fox gets some love. Be on the lookout for A Commander's Insistant Author. 
> 
> Is it just me or do these 'one-shots' keep getting longer and longer? 10,000 words? Phew. That took me a while. 
> 
> Same deal as with A Commander's Mysterious Singer. I used 'She' instead of 'You' and didn't use an actual name so feel free to imagine anyone you want in place of this character. 
> 
> I DON'T OWN STAR WARS. 
> 
> I'm going to read some ff now. One of my favorites who haven't updated in a while just updated. So... I'm happy. More story for you guys!! 
> 
> Omfg!! So my little sister loves Star Wars too but she is on the Sith side. She loves all things Darkside. Her text alert for me is Artoo screaming. Every time I text her and her cat is nearby, the cat tries to "save" Artoo by biting her phone. It's like she's trying to set him free. It's so funny. 
> 
> I have no one else to share that with so I decided to share with you guys.   
> MANDO'A
> 
> Ret'urcye mhi, Al'verde - Goodbye, Commander (Lit. Maybe we'll meet again, Commander)  
> Dar'jetii - Sith  
> Hodayc Chakaar - Hodayc means cunning and Chakaar means robber, thief, petty criminal. (I like to think of Cody calling her a cunning thief)  
> Su cuy'gar, Al'verde - Hello, Commander (lit. You're still alive, Commander)  
> Udesiir - Calm down, take it easy, relax, find respite  
> Cyar'ika - Darling or Sweetheart  
> Al'verde - Commander  
> Oya! - Many meanings from "Let's hunt!" to "Cheers!" Always positive and triumphant. (Here, I mean it like either "Let's hunt" or "Stay alive")  
> Mirshir - Shock, stun (lit. "brain" someone. Knock out their brain.)  
> Besom - Illmannered lout, unhygienic person, someone with no manners (In Mandalorian terms)

She sat with her legs tossed up on the table with her ankles crossed. Her arms were behind her head and she was leaning back in the chair. 

She ignored the things going on around her. She had a mission and all this Jedi nonsense was messing up her plans. 

The chair landed on the floor with a thud as she swung her legs to rest on the metal ground of the ship. "Hello, Commander!" She waved and shouted across the bridge of the massive warship she was on. 

She knew who Commander Cody was. She knew who and what role everyone would play. Well, not everyone. Just the main players. She took great joy in annoying them all. 

She came to this universe when she was fifteen. And honestly, it was the best thing ever to happen to her. She loved it here and she got away from her crappy life from before. She took this as a new start. 

The thing was, she had issues with the Jedi and the Sith. She wasn't on either side. Light, dark, what did she care who won. 

Well… that was a lie. The Jedi needed a stern talking to but they were a thousand times better than the Sith ruling the galaxy. She couldn't stand genocide. Cultural or otherwise. 

“Commander!” She called out again. She smirked as the clone tightened his grip on his datapad in his hand before taking a deep breath. 

“Why is she up here and not down in the cells?” Commander Cody seemed to be gritting his teeth if the clipped words and tone he used through his helmet was any indicator. 

“Rude!” She got up from her chair and sauntered over to the Commander. “I am an absolute angel. I didn’t do anything worthy of being stuck in a smelly cell.” She ignored Commander Cody’s scoff of disbelief. 

“Yes. If you can call disrupting the Republic force’s missions and being an annoyance to everyone you meet as not doing anything, then you’re right.” 

“Really?” She beamed. 

“No. You there.” The Commander barked at a trooper and made the poor guy nearly shake in his boots. “Take her off the bridge. Make sure she stays away from the hanger, too.” 

She scowled playfully. “Now Commander, be nice. Don’t scare the poor guy to death. Keeping your troops healthy and not rattling from nerves is a good thing.” 

She nearly cackled as the Commander sounded like he was close to breaking a tooth with how much he was clenching his teeth. 

“Get her off my bridge.” 

“Yes, sir!” The trooper nearly squeaked before waving towards the doors. “Ma’am?” 

She decided to take pity on the poor shiny new trooper whose bones were quaking from the fierce glare his Commander was giving. 

_ “Ret’urcye mhi, Al’verde. _ ” She tossed back her normal goodbye to the pissed off Commander. She kissed her hand and tossed it in his direction.

She loved Mando’a. She wasn’t fluent. Not by any means. Languages were just not her thing. She knew enough to get by, thanks to Jango. She loved the fact that one word in Mando’a could have several different meanings. 

What she said could either mean a simple ‘Goodbye, Commander.’ or it could mean a more poetic ‘Maybe we’ll meet again, Commander.’. 

She dearly hoped he got that she meant the second one. She always meant the second one. There was just something about the Commander… 

She barely heard him mutter an “I hope not.” followed by her name. 

Well, the name she gave to everyone she came across. No one knew her birth name and she wanted to keep it that way. 

The shiny led her to the mess hall. Clones were gathered around the tables. They were talking, laughing, eating, having a good time, enjoying the closeness of family. 

Something twisted deep in her gut. She wanted that. A little voice whispered darkly in her head. The camaraderie of beings that knew each other inside and out and loved each other despite their nasty little ‘quirks’ that bothered some people. 

_ Shut up _ . She hissed in her head at it. 

The Force swelled up around her and almost seemed to chase the thought away. 

That was something she didn’t know how to feel about. She had the Force. She had the option to go to the Jedi Temple and be a Jedi once but she declined. She was way too old and she was doing fine on her own. 

_ Liar. _ The voice was back.  _ You’re lonely. Admit it.  _

She tried really hard not to scowl. She ignored the little dark voice in her head and turned to her escort. 

“What’s good to eat here?” 

*****

After eating the spiced mush on her tray, (the food was good enough for rations. The clones obviously tried to use some Mandalorian spice but they didn’t quite get it right. They needed a true Mandalorian to teach them the right way.) She nearly snorted the last spoonful at her thoughts. 

“How do you know the Commander?” The shiny who brought her here asked. 

Several older clones stopped talking, obviously going to be listening in. 

She sighed and shoved away her tray. “That is sort of a long story. I saved his life and he doesn’t appreciate my sense of ‘honor’.” 

She sank back into the memory of the long-ago battle. 

*******

_ She was sneaking away from all the Jedi and clones fighting in the area against a whole mass of droids. Her job was done here. She completed her objective and her target should be making his way off the planet as she tried to leave herself.  _

_ Her trusty ship was just over that sand dune. The Uninhibitor was her cleverly named ship. It reminded her every day of her mission and why she was here.  _

_ The Force screamed a warning at her and she instinctively turned and caught with the Force what was thrown at her.  _

_ It was a clone trooper. She gently set the man on the ground. A tough-looking droid was quickly approaching behind his back. It was probably the one who threw him.  _

_ She whipped out her blasters and shot at the droid. She wasn’t going to hit the trooper but the clone flinched and whipped out his own blaster and aimed it at her.  _

_ Her shots were true and didn’t touch the clone trooper, instead, they shattered the droid into a mess of sparks and spare parts.  _

_ “Are you a general?” The trooper seemed uneasy. “We are gathering about a few clicks from here. If you can follow me, sir-”  _

_ “I’m not a Jedi.” She spoke calmly as she inspected her blasters for damage.  _

_ “But… you used that Jedi thing to-”  _

_ She looked up and took pity on the trooper. “It’s called the Force and yes, all Jedi can use it but not everyone who can use it is a Jedi.”  _

_ That made the trooper tense up even more. “Are… are you a  _ **_dar’jetii_ ** _?”  _

_ She knew a little bit of Mando’a and that sounded like he just called her… “No. I’m not a Sith. I’m a… let’s call me a free middle agent. I’m not with the Jedi, but I’m not with the Sith either. So… a happy middle. I’m neither dark nor light.”  _

_ “That sounds… dangerous.” The trooper flinched as Slave I flew overhead and blasted into the atmosphere. “Wait, was that…” The trooper seemed shocked.  _

_ “I’m sorry. I need to go. Keep what you just saw, to yourself. Don’t tell a soul.” She turned to leave when the trooper said something that made her grit her teeth.  _

_ “Why not? I know some of my men saw him die. I could tell them right now.”  _

_ “Why did I save you? I could have let you fall to the ground and most likely break your back from how hard and fast you were falling. I saved your life. Please, don’t tell anyone that Jango is alive in return.”  _

_ The clone radiated a wave of bristly anger in the Force. “Fine.” He grits out. “I won’t tell anyone.”  _

_ She gave a tight smile. “Thank you…?”  _

_ “CC-2224.” The clone nearly snarled his number.  _

_ She knew that number. Why did she know that number? She knew CC was a Commander. She just couldn’t remember if it was Wolffe, Cody, or Bly in front of her.  _

_ “Should I keep the fact you can use the Force to myself too?” The words sounded sarcastic.  _

_ “Definitely.  _ **_Ret’urcye mhi, Al’verde._ ** _ ” She sprinted away from the slightly pissed off Commander.  _

_ She had a mission to complete. She didn’t need any distractions. And CC-2224 looked to be a big one.  _

_ ******* _

She was in the middle of telling them a clean version of how she saved Commander Cody’s life, (Meaning… no secrets exposed.) when a trooper she knew very well showed up. 

He said her name calmly without an ounce of infliction to it. 

“Hello, Boil.” She leaned back on the bench to stare at the grumpy trooper. “How’s it going?”

“The General wants to see you.” Boil’s gaze never wavered from her. 

She sighed in mock disappointment. “No small talk? No ‘Hey, how have you been?’ or even a simple ‘Hi?’.” 

She desperately searched the Force, asking it what it wanted from her right now. Was now the time to reveal herself to the Jedi? She had spent all this time trying to avoid the Jedi. The Force had her going out of her way sometimes to avoid its precious ‘Order’. 

_ Not yet. Escape.  _ The Force whispered to her. 

_ Then why did you bring me here if you only wanted me to escape and not see the Jedi?  _ She growled in her head at it. 

She swore the Force giggled before swirling towards a side exit. In a split second, she was up and running, using the Force to aid her flight. 

She swore she heard Boil sigh in resignation before barking orders at the troopers in the mess hall. 

She ran down corridors and past startled troopers and other officers. Soon the chase was on. 

The Force danced with merriment as she twisted and turned through the ship to reach the hangar before they shut it down. 

She ignored its laughter as she boarded the Uninhibitor and tried to start up its engine. She scowled. Someone messed with her ship! 

She tried using her meager mechanical skills to fix the engine. She was hurriedly twisting wires when a smug familiar Force presence lit up behind her. 

“Going somewhere,  _ Hodayc Chakaar _ ?” 

“Commander Cody.” She spun around with her blaster out. 

With a swift swipe of his hand, her blaster fell to the floor. 

“Rude.” She tried to bring her hands down to grab her other blaster. 

Gloved fingers caught hers and wrapped a pair of binders around her wrists. 

Immediately she felt blind in the Force. She hadn’t felt this way in a while. Not since that flashy Weequay pirate caught her. Damn Ohnaka. That was a tough escape. 

“Ooh, Commander. Force binding cuffs? I’m that special, huh?” She teased him with a wink. 

Cody brought her down the ramp of her ship. A whole battalion of clones seemed to be waiting outside. 

She smirked. “You know,” She started loudly enough for a good portion of troopers to hear. “If you wanted me tied up all you had to do was ask, Commander. I’m game for anytime anywhere.” 

She saw Cody’s red cheeks out of the corner of her eye. 

“Shut up.” He hissed. He tugged sharply on her cuffs. 

“Oooh! Gagging too? I like it.” She laughed as Cody refused to look anyone in the eye and dragged her back down the halls. 

“Why must you annoy me so much?” He grumbled. He tugged on her cuffs leading her down an empty hallway. 

“Because it’s fun.” She answered with a smirk before turning serious as the cells came into view. “Hey, why don’t we go sit somewhere else? Like a conference room or something. I’ll let you cuff me to the table.” 

She tried to hide her nerves at the sight of the cell block. 

“No.” Cody shoved her into the small space and hit the button to lock her in. “I’ll bring the General shortly. Wait here. No escaping.” 

She sat on the floor in a meditation pose, trying to escape the feeling of being in a space too small. 

So she was a little claustrophobic. Who wasn’t? Small spaces freaked her out. 

She tried to get to her cuffs but they were locked tight. She wasn’t in the right mind space to wiggle free. 

She took deep breaths and slipped into her memories. She didn’t want to meditate. She was angry at the Force. Very angry. 

She thought back to the second time she saw the Commander. She had just gotten some things settled before making her way to the Rishi Moon. That whole bit with Fives and Echo’s squad, yeah, she tried to help but she thinks she only made it worse. Commander Cody sure didn’t like her being there. 

*****

_ She camped by the gate where the vent was. She needed to save someone, anyone. She hadn’t saved anyone since Shmi Skywalker.  _

_ That had been a bit difficult. She had transported fifteen jugs of water from Mon Cala. She carried ten of them across the desert and traded them for Shmi’s life.  _

_ The Tuskan Raiders eagerly traded a mere almost dead woman for the ten jugs of water. They seemed to treat her as some kind of deity. They wished to have a celebration but she declined in favor of getting Shmi back to her home. So what if she used the Force a little to scare them into letting her go. Shmi’s life was at stake. The whole galaxy was at stake.  _

_ She nursed Shmi back to health with the small amount of Earth medical knowledge she had. She left, early one morning, right before the whole household woke.  _

_ The Lars were nice, and they offered her a place with them if she was ever back on Tatooine, but she just couldn’t. The galaxy needed her. She knew the Clone Wars was going to break out in less than two months. She had left the Lars’ family the remaining five jugs of water and booked it off Tatooine like the Imperial Army was after her.  _

_ She broke from her thoughts when she heard clunking coming from the vent.  _

_ She had seen the meteor shower and saw the ship land. Poor Droidbait but she couldn’t walk up to a clone base and say what exactly? ‘Hi, I’m here to save you from an invasion. Please let me in.’? No. That was the quick way to get herself stuck in prison.  _

_ The gate was kicked off and first Hevy, then Fives, Echo, and Cutup fell out of the vent.  _

_ All four troopers pulled their blasters and pointed them at her. She quickly drew her own set of space guns, because she remembered the eel.  _

_ The huge freaking eel bigger than a skyscraper back on Earth that just came out and snatched up Cutup.  _

_ Her hands were shaking but she tried firing at the eels eye. She grazed it. She missed and Cutup was carried off after the eel glared hatred at her. It was now blind in one eye.  _

_ After giving a second to mourn their lost squadmate in the weirdest way ever, the three remaining clones turned on her.  _

_ “Who are you? How did you get out here?” One of them interrogated.  _

_ “Are you a Seppie?” Another one sounded almost giddy at the fact she might be a bad guy.  _

_ “No! I’m not a Separatist. I’m just a wandering traveler and decided to stop by here.” She shrugged in apology for lying to them.  _

_ “For what? There is nothing out here but us.” The one she was sort of sure was Echo spoke up suspiciously.  _

_ “The view.” She deadpanned. “Look. I saw the ship land and I figured you boys were in trouble so I’m offering to help. I have my blasters and I’m somewhat of a good shot. I was trained by the best.”  _

_ If you counted Jango Fett as the best. She mentally added in her head.  _

_ A ship passed overhead.  _

_ “It’s Commander Cody!” One of the troopers called.  _

_ She still had trouble determining who was who. Was Echo the one with the steadiest presence in the Force? Was Fives the one who had a fluttering teasing light that tickled her senses? She didn’t remember how Hevy got his name. Didn’t it have something to do with a clone named Ninety Nine? _

_ She tried to hide her flinch at Cody’s name. She had kept an ear out and the Commander had kept her secret. Jango was safely hidden away with his son Boba. No one would be bothering the ex-bounty hunter.  _

_ “There’s going to be trouble.”  _

_ “Quick! Get on their comlink.”  _

_ The troopers set about trying to contact Cody and Rex. She leaned back against the wall with her blasters clenched tightly in her palms. The eel was not getting her this time. She swore that she would kill it when it dared to show its face again.  _

_ “It’s no use. They’re on a different com channel than us.” Echo stopped messing with the buttons on his gauntlet.  _

_ “I can signal them with this droid flare.” Hevy fired the gun and a streak of red plasma shot straight in the air for a good hundred feet before fizzling out.  _

_ Blaster fire rang out on the ledge high above them. Soon the caverns rocked with an explosion.  _

_ She ducked as fire rained down past the little overhang they were on.  _

_ She followed the shinies through the smoke. She hung back when Rex and Cody pulled their blasters on the three troopers.  _

_ After a little bit of shouting and the three troopers proving that they were in fact flesh and bone, not a metal droid, she stepped forward.  _

**_“Su cuy’gar, Al’verde.”_ ** _ She smirked as five blasters trained on her.  _

_ Commander Cody gave a tired sigh. “Why are you here?”  _

_ “Ah, is that any way to say hello, Commander?” She tucked her hands behind her back in a mockery of a soldier’s at attention stance.  _

_ “Cody? You know this-”  _

_ You were ready for it this time. The giant eel raced out of a cave and headed right for you. You fired your blaster at the same time as Rex. Both of your shots hit it in the eye. Rex was more impressive because he did it without looking.  _

_ “Oh come on Captain. That was so my kill.” She strapped her blasters back into their hip holsters.  _

_ “Why are you here?” Cody bit out again. “There is nothing on this moon except this base. You claimed you were not working with them before but things can change.”  _

_ The four other clones all tensed.  _

_ Her forced joviality fell flat. “Some things do change but I hope that your sense of honor isn’t one of them.”  _

_ Cody seemed to flinch. His eyes hardened. “ _ **_My_ ** _ honor was never in question.” He placed emphasis on the word my in that sentence.  _

_ She tried to ignore the implication in his words. “Neither is mine.”  _

_ Commander Cody snorted.  _

_ “Lovely as this little interaction has been, there are still droids up there in that base. What are we supposed to do?” Echo, ever the voice of reason stepped in the conversation cautiously.  _

_ ***** _

_ They had retaken the base the same way as in the episode. Hevy blew it up with him still inside. She bit back tears.  _

_ She was supposed to change things. She did nothing but possibly ruined everything and caused a rift between Cody and Rex.  _

_ She wasn’t blind. She noticed the looks that Rex gave both her and his brother.  _

_ She was almost to her ship, hoping that nothing damaged it while she was gone when Commander Cody caught up to her.  _

_ She wasn’t in the mood to deal with the clone commander. All she wanted was to take a shower and curl up in her bed and cry. Maybe that was why she was a little mean to him and purposely annoyed him to make him go away.  _

_ “Hello, Commander. What can I help you with on this lovely night?” She bit out sarcastically.  _

_ Cody paused before answering. “I will keep your secret. You don’t need to check up on me.”  _

_ She whirled around to face him. “In case you haven’t noticed, there is a war going on. There are bigger things happening around us than whether or not a simple Force user needs a clone commander to keep a secret. I have bigger things to worry about. I was here, I saw the meteor shower, I saw the ship land, I wanted to help out. End of story.”  _

_ She turned back and hit the button to lower the ramp on her ship.  _

_ “The Uninhibitor?” The Commander seemed confused. “Odd name for a ship.”  _

_ “It’s my mission. Anything else before I leave and you leave?” She halts halfway up the ramp at his words.  _

_ “It’s not your fault.”  _

_ “I think you’ll find, Commander Cody, that you are dead wrong.” She closed the ramp and almost sagged. She stood up straight. She needed to get the ship into hyperspace before she could crash.  _

**_“Ret’urcye mhi, Al’verde._ ** _ ” She murmured as she pulled the lever to leave the system.  _

_ ***** _

“Is she sleeping?” 

A voice called her out of her memories. She shook her head and scrambled backward as her vision cleared. 

A small redheaded man stood above her. 

She forced a bit of sass and happiness into her voice and actions as she tried desperately to ignore the fact that she was in a small space. 

“Hello, General.” She grinned lazily. “I’d shake your hand but someone has a thing for seeing me tied up. It’s very annoying. Personally, I like a little bit of blindfolding but alas, I never get what I want.” 

General Kenobi just looked confused. He reached out a hand for the cuffs but Commander Cody stopped him. 

“Don’t. She’s force sensitive and has a nasty habit of always escaping.” 

“Aw. Are you still upset about that time on Ryloth? We could always go back. I’ll let you tie me to a boulder this time. Just undo these cuffs and I’m all yours,  _ Al’verde _ .” Her smile was a saucy smirk. 

“Stop.” Cody gritted out. “Just stop.” 

“Stop what? Calling you  _ Al’verde _ ?” She lit on an idea. “Do you like it? Is that why you want me to stop? You have a thing for me calling you Commander in Mando’a?  _ Al’verde _ ?” She nearly purred the word out.

Cody snarled the word for petty criminal at her in Mando’a. 

“Rude. I’m not a  _ chakaar. _ I like to think of myself as a free spirit. I answer to no one.” 

“That seems a little dangerous.” General Kenobi cut in. 

He looked distinctly uncomfortable. His features were pinched in discomfort and if she hadn’t spent nearly half her childhood watching this man on a tv screen she never would have caught it. 

“You say you answer to no one. You are obviously Force-sensitive, yet somehow the temple missed you?” 

She kept her mouth shut on his question. Inside she was near enough to an anxiety attack at the closing in walls and the creeping feeling of being in a room for too long that she desperately needed to focus on something, anything else. 

Unknown to her was the desperate way she was looking around the room. 

“Hey,” Cody spoke her name. “Are you okay?” 

Those words brought it into perspective for her. She was in a tiny room with two men leaning over her and she was trapped with no escape. 

Her breaths became quick and short. 

“Hey.  _ udesiir, udesiir, Chakaar. _ ” Cody dropped to his knees before her and placed her hand on his chest. He took big exaggerated breaths so she could feel them through his armor. 

She calmed down soon enough but she still felt penned in. 

“Cody. Take the cuffs off.” General Kenobi stood up and opened the cell door. 

Cody hit the button for the binders and they fell to the floor. 

She sighed in relief as both the Force and the fact that she now had an escape route soothed her. 

“You wouldn’t make a good Jedi.” The general stated after escorting her through the ship. “You’re too impulsive and you are very fearful but you would make a good ally. We need someone who walks the grey path on our side. You can go to places and do things we can’t actively do. You walk the grey path perfectly. All these years and you haven’t given in to the dark. You are how old? Twenty-five? Twenty-six? Simply amazing.” 

“Nobody is perfect.” She started speaking automatically, uncomfortable with the praise. “I have had my moments. I almost came close twice when things seemed hopeless. But I just remembered that the Darkside corrupts you completely and takes everything you are and more. I have seen the horrors that the Darkside produces. I will never be a Sith but I will never be a Jedi either. Both sides have their faults.” 

“Will you be our ally? You would be free to work with any legion you wish and we can’t offer you much, just a meager amount of credits and a place to sleep in the barracks. I’m sure you will have your own space.” General Kenobi offered. “I’m afraid you won’t ever be alone again for a while though. Almost all the men have heard tales of their Commander’s annoying traveler.” 

It was those words that sealed the deal. Since she had been in this galaxy, she had been alone. She worked alone, she ate alone, she slept alone, she even cried alone. Alone. 

To not be alone anymore was her deepish wish. She gave the offer a good three minutes of faux consideration. “Deal.” 

General Kenobi grinned. “Perfect. I will inform the Council immediately.” 

****

She didn’t get off to a good start. She had chosen the 212th to stay with. Commander Cody was familiar and she didn't want to run into Anakin. The so-called “Chosen One”, was a little bit too much for her. 

Her room was next door to Cody’s and they fought like cats and dogs. She didn’t know what she did to offend him but at every opportunity, he made it clear that he was the boss on this ship. 

Oh, she wasn’t totally innocent in things. She flirted with him constantly and made him sigh so much that she had taken to calling him Mando in her head. Because Din Djarin sighed. A lot. Her record was fifteen times in the space of twenty minutes. 

The action she saw made her have nightmares so most nights she didn’t sleep. She couldn’t. She had been on the job for two weeks and had seen ten battles. Ten battles where troopers died by the hundreds. 

Every time one died, she flinched and died a little inside along with them. She got better at it and hid her flinches in the middle of a shoot out. But she was close to her breaking point. If she thought that being alone in the galaxy and doing all her separate missions was hard, this was like a game setting on grandmaster. 

The Force whispered around her. It sure thought she was in the right spot for now. 

She got mad at the Force. Why would it do this? Let her be here and feel it as trooper after trooper died in battle. Where she could feel as their light was snuffed out and they were folded back into the Force. Back to where they came from. 

Because the Force didn’t care how you were made. If you had life, you were loved and under its protection and guidance. And the Force adored the clones. It shone so brightly among the men, she thought that if the Jedi were really watching and paying attention they would be jealous.

She was ecstatic when she got the news of a mission that she was needed for. The rest of the 212th was meeting up with the 501st soon for another mission to some ice planet thing. 

She packed her bags and was laying on her bed in her room. She was leaving at five in the morning. It was currently midnight and she had her things ready. 

She closed her eyes as she heard Cody enter his room. He always was out late and came back at the most obnoxious times in the night. 

She shifted as she heard the Commander’s door shut. He began moving around in his room. 

Her eyes slipped closed unwillingly. The sounds of the Commander moving around in his room was soothing. Someone was there and alive. 

You know how when you get so exhausted and just the sound of life going on around you makes you so sleepy? Yeah, that’s where she was at, at this point. Plus, it was Cody. 

His Force presence was so soothing for her. Like a river that over time could erode away rock and dirt. It flowed around him and through him and it touched everyone around him. 

She drowsily closed her eyes and fell asleep. The thing was though, that even with Cody’s comforting presence in the next room, the instant he stopped and fell asleep, the nightmares began. 

*******

_ “No. Please, no.” She stared in horror at what was around her. The twi’leks of Ryloth were massacred and she knew it would only get worse.  _

_ Soon, the Separatist bombers would come through here and bomb whole villages of people. Numerous twi’leks would die in fire and flame.  _

_ She had to do something. She had to! But first, she needed to save these hurting people. She needed to find Cham Syndulla.  _

_ She walked on, carefully stepping around bodies and debris from broken houses. “Hello? I’m looking for Cham Syndulla.”  _

_ She walked a little farther before she was clear of the battlefield. The instant she was on cleanish sand, she was surrounded.  _

_ “State your business, Stranger.” One purple twi’lek leveled his spear type weapon at her neck.  _

_ She held perfectly still. “I’m looking for Cham Syndulla. I have a warning and an offer for him.”  _

_ “No. Leave.”  _

_ The twi’leks shifted on their mounts. Blurgs if she wasn’t mistaken.  _

_ “But your people are in danger.” She tried to protest.  _

_ “Yes. From people like you. You who come to our planet and steal from us and kill us and make us lose our possessions. I don’t kill women without a reason so I am giving you one minute to leave before I find a good enough reason.” The twi’lek spokesperson pushed his electric spear thing closer to her.  _

_ He must have gotten it from a commando droid because she recognized it as a weapon that could even penetrate a trooper’s armor and kill them with one pulse of electricity.  _

_ She realized with horror that they must think of her as a Seppie and left the area as quickly as she could.  _

_ She stared as the bodies of the twi’leks turned into the bodies of the clones she knew and people she cared about. There was Boil and Wooley and Waxer and… Cody.  _

_ Commander Cody laid there with a terrible wound in his stomach. She could see his chest rise and fall with rattling breaths. _

_ She screamed his name. Dead troopers grabbed at her arms and shoulders. She fought them trying to reach the Commander. “No! Cody!”  _

_ “ _ **_Udesiir, udesiir, Hodayc Chakaar._ ** _ I’m right here.” The other troopers chanted.  _

_ “CODY!”  _

_ WAKE UP! _

_ **** _

She sat up and instinctively caught the hand that was flying towards her face. 

“Good. You’re awake.” 

“Were you about to hit me?” She let go of Cody’s wrist.

The Commander shrugged. “You wouldn’t wake up.” Cody paused for a moment. 

She looked around the room. Her bedside lamp was on just as she left it. Her door was open and unlocked. Cody sat on the edge of her bed. He was dressed in sleep pants and a GAR t-shirt. His black hair was rumpled and slightly curly. 

He looked like he just rolled out of bed. 

Cody must have noticed her looking because he smirked. “You were screaming my name in your sleep. I had to wake you up. Someone might get the wrong idea.” 

Her jaw dropped at the sexy smirk on his face and the words he said. The memory of the dream ran through her head. And she snapped it shut. 

That dream was partly a memory and partly a dream. She did go see if she could talk to Cham Syndulla and they did think she was a Separatist at first. The part with Cody was the nightmare. She didn’t know she cared that much about him that the sight of him near death would send her into hysterics. 

Cody’s smirk fell. “Are you okay? This isn’t the first time I have heard you yelling in your sleep. It has been a few days though.” 

A few days? Does he keep track of that? The last time she slept was three days ago. “I don’t sleep well.” She picked at the blanket. “The last time I slept was three days. I keep having nightmares.” 

“About me apparently.” 

  
She kept her eyes on her lap and fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist. Jango had given it to her when she ‘completed her training’. It was some kind of shiny metal that never got rusty or broke. 

“Scoot over.” 

“What?” Her head snapped up. 

“I said, scoot over. You can’t sleep and I need to sleep. I’m not going to get sleep if you keep yelling in your sleep.” Cody nudged her in the leg with his knee until she scooted all the way over to the wall. 

Cody slipped into her bed. His warmth made her drowsy again. He was right there. Force presence and all pressed so close to her that she was instantly soothed. 

“I used to do this for Rex when we were little and he had nightmares. He would sneak into my squad’s room and come to my bed. Now, I guess his Jedi helps him. He’s loved her for a while and then she finds out and completely ignores him for three days while they come to Coruscant. They get there and after all his duties are done he comes to me, moping about it. She then comes into 79’s and makes a scene and it was something out of a holodrama. The whole bar cheering and everything. Now, they are all over each other every time they come into the bar because she is a Jedi and he’s a captain and while us clones don’t care, the Jedi do.” 

She closes her eyes as Cody goes on to tell her about his  _ vod _ and their girls. Rex had a Jedi and Wolffe had some famous singer as a girlfriend. He said that Wolffe wasn’t so bad with PDA but Rex was the worst. Fox was being secretive and more distant by the cycle and Cody was worried. 

She hid a wince when she thought of Fox. He probably was being mind-controlled on a daily basis. Poor man. That was on her list. To take down Palpatine. She couldn’t do it alone though. She needed some kind of help. 

The Force swirled around her.  _ Rest, my Chosen One. Rest. _

She rolled her eyes and tentatively laid her head on Cody’s broad shoulder. He tensed slightly before talking about something Bly did with his General. She let Cody’s voice and presence lull her to sleep. She slept without one nightmare. 

******

_ Beep! Beep! Beep! _

“Turn it off.” A male voice groaned. 

She tries to move but froze as a band of heat tightens around her middle and she is yanked back into a warm solid chest. 

_ Beep! Beep! Beep! _

“ _ Cyar’ika,  _ please. Turn it off.” 

She huffs. “You have to let me go first,  _ Al’verde. _ Plus, you are closer to the alarm than me.” 

“But I’ve already turned it off twice.” Cody near sleep is adorable. 

“If you have already turned it off twice that means we are late for our shuttle because I set that for four fifty-five in the morning and we were supposed to leave at five and that alarm has a ten-minute snooze. So… we are about twenty minutes late at best.” She laughs as Cody jerks out of her bed and runs a hand through his hair. 

“Seriously?” Cody eyes her clock/alarm and swore in Mando’a. He runs out of her room and into his next door. 

She laughs with everything in her as she hears Cody swear again. “Hey! Watch your mouth! There are minors on board this ship!” 

She pauses as she goes about getting ready to leave. This has put Commander Cody in a new light. She got to see a new side to him that she never saw before. 

She eyed the clock and hurried with getting dressed. She didn’t have time for this rumination at the moment. Later she would examine her feelings and see what needed to be done. 

She made it to the hanger shortly after Cody. 

Troopers had been giving her weird looks all morning. 

She came to a stop next to Boil. “Why is everyone looking at me funny?” 

Boil gave her a side-eyed look and handed a datapad to her. 

She took it and stared at the picture on it. She was wrapped up in Cody’s arms. Her head was on Cody’s chest and his arms were tucked around her like he was shielding her from anything this galaxy felt like throwing at her. She looked small with the Commander holding her. The blanket was draped around their waists. Thank the Force that they were both visibly clothed or it would look like something else had happened. 

“Who has seen this?” She demanded. She forced a scowl on her face to hide the fond smile that wanted to show up. “Who even took this?” 

Boil shrugged one shoulder. “Next time you decide to sleep in with the Commander, shut and lock your door.” Boil snatched the datapad and hurried down the hall. 

She frowned. Boil used to be more welcoming. She faintly remembered an episode where the clones were forced to kill each other and mentally slapped herself. Fucking Umbra. Waxer was his closest brother and he was killed by a member of the 501st in a ‘friendly’ fire type of situation. 

“Stupid. I completely forgot about that.” She muttered. “Poor guy probably hates me and every other force user.” 

She was halfway to the hanger when her private comlink started to go off. Only two people knew that number and both were supposed to be laying low and using this in case of an emergency. 

She ducked into a storage cupboard and accepted the call. “Hello?” 

A blue-tinted image of the clones’ maker appeared out of her wrist. “I hear you have some good news to share. I knew you liked me.” 

“Jango.” She sighed. “How on Tatooine did you know about that? I just saw it myself.” 

The true Mand’alor smirked. It was disturbing how much that reminded her of Cody’s flirting last night. “I have my sources.” 

She took it to mean that he had spies in the GAR. 

She raised an eyebrow. “I thought I told you this was emergencies only. You and Boba both. I expected this of your little mini-me but not from you.”

“It is urgent of a sort.” Jango shifted on his feet in the hologram. 

She waited for Jango to continue. He looked like he wanted something and Jango Fett was a proud man. When he needed help it was something huge he knew he couldn’t take on alone. 

“I want to take back Mandalore. And I could use some help.” 

She took a half step back in surprise. “Come again?” 

“I want to take back Mandalore,” Jango repeated. “I guess your constant nagging got to me. I have looked into what’s been going on over the past few rotations and it’s only getting worse. My people are being destroyed by both the Dutchess and Death Watch. You were right. Jaster would be heartbroken over what has been going on. I need to fix it.” 

She grew quiet as she asked the Force what to do. 

_ Change. My Chosen One. Needed on Coruscant but send help to the Mand’alor.  _

Jango called her name when she went too long debating what to do. “I have a few friends I can send your way. They are not like me but they will help out as much as they can. I’m needed on Coruscant for the moment but I swear my coms will always be open if you need advice or to talk things through or to go over plans.” 

Her other com beeped with a message. She idly checked it. Looks like her mission was handed off to another legion and Jedi shadow because she messed up big time. The council wished to see her. 

“Jango, I have to go. I am behind you 100% on taking back Mandalore. You know I am always behind you on who should lead. Be careful. I think there is a forgotten  _ dar’jetii _ behind some things on Mandalore.  _ Ret’urcye mhi, Mand’alor _ .  _ Oya! _ ” 

_ “Oya,”  _ Jango repeated before signing off. 

*****

She was sitting in a meeting bored out of her skull. It looks like she will have to meet with the 501st after all. After a stern dressing down by the Jedi council, (she wasn’t even apart of their order and they could still make her feel bad) she had been escorted into a strategy meeting. 

General Kenobi, Commander Cody and some Admiral she didn’t know were currently going over plans for the next planet they plan to go to after Coruscant. 

“Tired?” General Kenobi called out to her. 

She jerked and stood up straight. “Not at all, General.” 

“Good. I have to ask that the next time you entertain company that you please keep the noise down. My room is right down the hall.” 

It took a moment for the meaning of his words to hit her. Cody’s words came back that she was screaming his name in her sleep and that someone might get the wrong idea. Looks like General Kenobi got the wrong idea. 

“No! That’s not what-” 

But the General already moved away across to the other side of the bridge. 

She sighed. There was no stopping this train. Better to just ride along until it stopped. Did everyone think that’s what they did? 

Cody made his way over to her. “Do you know why the General just told me ‘Good job but keep the noise down next time’?” 

Her face felt like it was on fire. “He seems to think that we slept together.” 

Cody’s face was confused. “But we did?” 

She slapped her forehead. “Think about what you said last night. I was screaming your name and the General’s room is right down the hall.” 

The confusion cleared up from Cody’s face. He got that same smirk on her face that was one thousand times sexier than Jango’s. Jango’s had a mean tint to it like he was making fun of you. Cody was more like a confident I’m-about-to-mess-with-you-and-you-are-going-to-be-shocked smirk. 

“If you want to truly scream my name again all you have to do is ask.” He purred out her name and left her standing shocked at his audacity. 

That was more her thing to flirt like that and shock someone (namely Cody) senseless. It was no fair, that when he did it, she couldn’t speak. 

“Did you just-” She floundered for balance in a sea of confusion and lust. 

Cody’s smirk grew and he turned to leave. 

“Hey! You can’t just-” 

“Do you have something to add?” General Kenobi called her name. 

“No sir, General. Sounds alright to me. I’m going to go get ready for my leave.” She turned on her heel and was almost to the door when Commander Cody said something that almost made her trip. 

“Don’t forget your cuffs,  _ Cyar’ika _ . You’ll need them later.” Cody’s smirk was the last thing she saw before the door closed. 

She pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was pounding. Damn. When Cody flirts, he really flirts. 

He had to be messing around. He would never call her that name otherwise.  _ Cyar’ika _ . Sweetheart or Darling. That’s what she was pretty sure it meant in Mando’a. It either means that or Beloved. She didn’t know which one was worse. 

  
  


****

She was halfway through her leave. She was holed up in her room at the barracks that the troopers used when they were on leave. 

She was entirely bored. Cody was out doing things with his brothers and she was left all alone. 

There was a pounding at her door. She sat up. No one was supposed to be here. 

“Get up! We’re going out. The whole 212th is and that includes you so come on.” A trooper called through the door. She was pretty sure it was Kit. The shiny she had named when he always seemed to have some kind of prepared kit on him. She thinks he was training as a medic. 

“If I have to.” She yelled back. She sorted through her clothes and chose a pair of tight pants with a shirt that showed off her middle with her pierced belly button. The charm was a moon with blue gem stars she had gotten before she had even come to this universe. She was so glad she didn’t choose the Yoda one she had been debating over. That would have been awkward to explain. 

She shuddered lightly and moved on to putting on some makeup. The makeup here was good stuff. She was soon done and went out of her room to see a bunch of troopers waiting for her. 

“Oh. Sorry. If I knew you were waiting I would have hurried.” The troopers all stood up and stared at her. “What? Is my hair a mess?” She looked in the reflection of a window, trying to fix her hair. 

One trooper whistled lowly before being pummeled at on all sides. They whispered in Mando’a and she only picked out words here and there like  _ mirshir _ (which means to knock out) and  _ Al’verde _ which was what they called Cody. 

She rolled her eyes. “Are we going or what?” 

The troopers spent another few seconds talking before they all herded her to the door. She found herself in the middle of a clone huddle as they seemed to protect her on all sides. She was confused before she felt their intentions through the Force. 

Apparently, she was to be protected and hidden as much as possible. She was tempted to complain but she had forgotten a jacket and it  _ was _ cold out. The troopers ran much warmer than your average humanoid and she didn’t want to start the night out with an argument. 

Plus she wanted to see Cody’s face when he sees her. 

_ Who would be the shocked one then? _ She thought with some vicious glee. 

The troopers herded her through the door to the 79’s bar. They stopped in a group around her as one broke off and headed for the table where she could just barely see Cody alongside three other troopers all wearing a different color and two ladies. 

She spotted flashes of blue, orange, grey, and red as the troopers moved around. Raised voices reached your ears over the bar sounds. 

“For Force’s sake! Let the poor girl out!” A female voice called. Hands shoved two troopers out of the way before latching onto her wrist and pulling her into the cooler air. 

“Hi. You must be the new one with the 212th.” The woman introduced herself and the other lady with her. “And that’s Wolffe. Ignore him. He’s an asshole. That’s Fox. He’s a nice guy, mostly. Don’t do anything illegal or mention anything illegal because he’s sort of like the head leader in charge of crime here. And this is Rex and you already know Cody.” 

“Like the police?” She asked confused. She shot a look at Cody and smirked. His jaw was clenched and he was burning holes through her.  _ “Su cuy’gar, Al’verde.”  _ She purred his title at him with a sly grin. A muscle in his jaw jumped. 

“What are you wearing?” He nearly growled out. 

“What? This?” She waved her hand down at her outfit. “Please. This is nothing. I wear less than this when I go swimming.” 

“You let her out wearing that?” Cody made the shinies in the group jump. 

She sighed and flicked his forehead. “I told you to stop making the shinies shake like that. Their bones are going to break one of these days and then where would we be.” 

The first woman laughed. “Oh, I like you. Come sit.” The first woman pulled her down until she was sitting squished between her and Cody. 

The first woman had a calculating look in her eyes. “So… what exactly is your job?” 

“I’m like a Jedi shadow but not. I go on missions that General Kenobi can’t be seen on.” She took a sip of the drink offered to her before slightly coughing. “What is this crap?” 

The two women shared a look before asking her more questions. 

“What did you do before you joined up with the 212th?” The first woman swirled her straw idly while one hand was dropped below the table.

“A wandering traveler.” She shrugged. 

“An annoying traveler,” Cody spoke up at the same time as her. 

She dropped her jaw playfully. “That’s rude. You don’t see me going around calling you a  _ besom. _ ” 

With every sip of her drink, she felt drunker and drunker. She was a lightweight but this was ridiculous. 

“Annoying how?” The first woman made it seem like she was under interrogation. 

“She showed up on my missions to mess them up and annoy me.” Cody shifted away from her when she reached for her drink and her bare midriff rubbed against his arm. 

“Excuse you, how many men did I save that would have been killed had I not been there.” She turned to glare at Cody. 

Cody must have been a little intoxicated too because he looked like he wanted to say something mean. His jaw was still clenched and his heated gaze never strayed from her eyes. 

“So, you saved people who were going to die?” The second woman who had the grey armored Commander’s arm around her shared a look with the first woman. 

“Yes.” She nodded and took another drink. “Exactly.” 

“Have you ever been to Tatooine?” The first woman spoke up. “Did you save anyone there?” 

That sobered her up a little. Who exactly were these women? “Yes.” She answered cautiously. “I have been to Tatooine.” 

“Isn’t that where General Skywalker is from?” The blue trooper who had his body plastered to the first woman looked over at her. “Hey, aren’t you the one from Rishi that shot the eel? That means…” 

The trooper trailed off and stared between her and Cody before laughing. “Ah. Now I see it.” 

“See what?” The first woman leaned in closer to the blue trooper’s side. 

“I’ll explain later,  _ Cyar’ika. _ ” He nuzzled the first woman’s neck. 

The red trooper sighed and stoop up. “That’s my cue to leave. When you leave this gross stage, let me know so I can come back.” 

You lean over Cody to say goodbye to Fox. “Bye, Fox! See ya soon!” 

“I hope not.” Fox gave her a look and she remembered that he was basically the police here. 

“Not like that. You’ll see.” She sat back and almost sat on the Jedi woman. 

The two other women shared looks before looking at her. “What are you doing tomorrow?” 

“Probably going to be sleeping off whatever you guys gave me.” She answered promptly. 

“Want to meet up at about noon at her apartment?” The Jedi motioned to the second woman in a hat. 

“Sure. I am dying for some time with some women. Being surrounded by men all the time is hard.” She heard Rex and Wolffe snicker as Cody muttered something under his breath. 

She turned to face Cody and her bare middle rubbed his arm again. He stared at her with heat in his eyes. In her intoxicated state, she thought it was anger. 

Rex and the Jedi woman were whispering together before Rex called over a few more troopers. 

They squeezed into the booth and took up so much space that the Jedi woman was on Rex’s lap and the second hatted woman was on Wolffe’s. 

Rex scooted so far into the booth that she was forced up into Cody’s lap. 

Cody muttered something at both Rex and Wolffe. The only word that was familiar was a Mando’a curse Jango used a lot. 

The whole group laughed including the Jedi woman. 

The only other person who looked confused was the hatted woman. “Okay. That’s it! I am learning Mando’a if I have to go down to the area here and convince someone to teach me.”

Wolffe leaned down and whispered something in her ear. “Deal.” She agreed. 

“How come you didn’t understand that? I thought you knew the language too.” The Jedi woman looked over at her. 

“I only know a little. Unfortunately, the person teaching me is unavailable for more lessons. I can pick out bits and pieces like I know he cursed but I don’t know exactly what he said.” She shifted on Cody’s lap and reached for her drink. 

Cody’s hands came around her hips and held her down. “Stop. Moving.” He hissed in her ear. 

“Or what?” She whispered back. She now got what was wrong with him. Kind of hard not to when the evidence was blatantly available. “You’ll punish me,  _ Al’verde? _ ” 

Cody cursed again. “Just stop.” 

“Why  _ Al’verde?”  _

She smirked as Cody spoke too loud. 

“Stop!” 

“You okay there, Cody?” Wolffe’s mismatched eyes gleamed with hidden assholery glee. 

She grinned savagely back. She knew how to get him to stop. “He’s fine. He just likes it when I call him Commander in Mando’a.” 

The whole table went silent. 

“That’s… something I never wanted to know about him,” Rex admitted. 

Wolffe didn’t back down. She now knew why he was called that. He laughed outright. “Oh, Bly and Fox needed to hear that. I bet Fox would just sigh and…” He trailed off as he thought. “You know what? I wonder if Bly likes it too.” 

“Stop! Everyone!” Cody nearly yelled. 

She was laughing so hard that she was shaking on Cody’s lap. “Oh, I like you, Commander Wolffe. I think you and I are going to be good friends.” 

Cody bit out some words in Mando’a and every 212th trooper in the booth paled and stood up. He spoke to the 501st troopers blocking the way and they too paled and let a clear path out to the main area. 

The only one blocking the way was Rex and his Jedi. 

“Move! Now, vod’ika or some people will be really happy to know what you used to do as a cadet when it was nighttime.” Cody’s words were full of menace. 

Rex’s face drained of blood and he swallowed harshly. “You wouldn’t dare.” 

Rex and Cody had a staredown. 

Cody raised an eyebrow but Rex just glared back. Cody sighed. “Fine. Have it your way. Hey, Jesse, Hardcase, did you know that your Captain when he was about five to six standard years old would-” 

“Okay! Fine! You would dare! I’ll move.” Rex let out a yelp and scooted out of the booth with the Jedi in his lap. 

Cody’s hands clamped down on her waist, pressing her against him as he got out of the booth. When he was at the end he set her down on the ground. “Come on. We’re leaving.” 

“Are you joking? I just got here about an hour ago and you don’t boss me around. You may have the shinies quaking in their boots but not me. I- Hey!” 

Cody leaned down and scooped her up tossing her over his shoulder. 

There were hoots and catcalls as Cody left the bar with her flung over his back. Every grey and white colored trooper followed their Commander’s lead as he let out a wolf howl. Cody’s steps were bouncy with his supposed anger. 

“Why do you annoy me so much? Do you like making me like this or something?” Cody grumbled as he carried you back to the barracks. 

“Maybe I annoy you because I want you to do something about it. Maybe I want you to do all the things I tease you about.” She spoke loudly enough for him to hear her. They were in the middle of the main area of the barracks for the 212th. 

Cody froze. 

“Maybe I annoy you because I don’t know any other way to get your attention. Where I’m from no one cared about me. I was shuffled off to the side so I became annoying to get people’s attention. So yeah, maybe I am annoying but I don’t know how to say that I lo- like you.” She crossed her arms over his lower back. 

Cody lifted her off his shoulder and pulled her up to face him. She swayed dangerously. The combination of alcohol and being suspended upside down for ten minutes was not good for her head. 

She slumped into Cody and lifted her face up to see him. “Hi. I like your Force presence. It’s strong like a river that can wear away rock and debris if you give it enough time. Like it will always be there and will never dry up. I think that sums you up nicely. Strong, always there and you can face anything.” 

Cody sighed. “And you are drunk. Great.” 

“‘M not drunk. I can hold my liquor well enough it’s just that the crap I was drinking was strong.” She nodded her head sagely like what she said was sound advice. 

“Come on. Let’s get you in bed. You have somewhere to be at noon tomorrow.” Cody started pulling her down the hall. 

*****

She woke up the next morning with a headache. She groaned as the lights flashed on. She hid her face in her pillow. 

“Get up. You have to meet the two women at noon and it’s eleven in the morning.” 

Cody’s voice brought back everything from last night. 

Teasing him in the bar, telling him about her younger days, how she became annoying, why she was annoying to him, her confession about liking his Force presence and him. She said like, didn’t she? Not love? She was sure she said love though. 

“Come on,  _ Cyar’ika. _ Get up. I have some medicine for you that Kit brought.” Cody shook her shoulder gently. 

“Cody?” She mumbled into the pillow. “I love you. Will you kill me?” In for a penny, in for a pound she guessed. 

“No. Now get up.” Cody nudged her shoulder again. “Come on. They’re waiting. Literally. Rex’s Jedi is out in the main area. I’ve banned her from these rooms back here but she won’t stay out for long.” 

“Fine.” She sat up quickly and kissed Cody’s cheek. “I’d kiss you for real but my breath is nasty.” 

Despite the pounding headache, she was sporting she was happy. She finally had a family and some tentative girlfriends that she was going to meet with. She felt like she had been interrogated last night and they were going to give her a verdict. 

She quickly dressed and got ready. Before she left the room she kissed Cody and grabbed the coffee and pills he had in his hands. “Thank you,  _ Al’verde. _ ” 

Cody twitched. “Tonight and every night from here on, you are with me.” 

She frowned. “That’s a little possessive.” She teased. “I don’t know if I want to-” 

Cody spoke her name fondly. “Shut up.” He pushed her up against her door and kissed her deeply. He gave her a gentle shove down the hall. She moved on shaky legs. 

She used her hand to fan her face when she came into the main area. The Jedi was already there. She was in deep discussion with Kit who was reading a book. 

“Hey, guys. What’s going on?” She leaned against the wall and nearly fell at Kit’s words. 

“I was just telling her about the book I’m reading. It’s about this little Jawa that goes on this journey with thirteen Ewoks and they are being chased by Geonosians and they find refuge with some Rodians at some point. It’s very good. I’m only halfway through.” 

That sounded very familiar. “Um… what are they traveling for?” 

“To reclaim a temple that got taken from the Ewoks by a talking Rancor.” Kit waved his hands about. “It’s very unusual. But the author is famous for their unusual books. I have never heard of a Jawa teaming up with a bunch of Ewoks. But it’s entertaining.” 

She met the eyes of the Jedi and she knew. The Force swirled around the room confirming it. She wasn’t the only one from Earth here. That interrogation last night made sense now. She bet that the hatted woman and this author were also from Earth. 

Why else would there be a book similar to The Hobbit in this Galaxy? Just what was the Force up to. 

**Author's Note:**

> MANDO'A
> 
> Ret'urcye mhi, Al'verde - Goodbye, Commander (Lit. Maybe we'll meet again, Commander)  
> Dar'jetii - Sith  
> Hodayc Chakaar - Hodayc means cunning and Chakaar means robber, thief, petty criminal. (I like to think of Cody calling her a cunning thief)  
> Su cuy'gar, Al'verde - Hello, Commander (lit. You're still alive, Commander)  
> Udesiir - Calm down, take it easy, relax, find respite  
> Cyar'ika - Darling or Sweetheart  
> Al'verde - Commander  
> Oya! - Many meanings from "Let's hunt!" to "Cheers!" Always positive and triumphant. (Here, I mean it like either "Let's hunt" or "Stay alive")  
> Mirshir - Shock, stun (lit. "brain" someone. Knock out their brain.)  
> Besom - Illmannered lout, unhygienic person, someone with no manners (In Mandalorian terms)


End file.
